A Trip Through Vondelpark
I was traveling around Europe with two of my sisters. I had just quit my marketing job and planned a month-long trip with Brittany and Tyler to Amsterdam, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland. We had booked our roundtrip tickets in and out of Amsterdam, so Amsterdam became sort of a home base for us. We spent most of our time there, between venturing off to other places. Everyone knows that marijuana is easily accessible in Amsterdam where cafes line the streets offering edibles, hash, and pre-rolled joints. However, not everyone realizes that you can easily find mushroom truffles at select shops as well. Tyler and I had experimented with psychedelics enough times to know what they were about. We had talked about “tripping” on our Euro-trip but we figured we would just take our travels day by day and see if it worked out. My sisters and I had spent over three weeks traveling around different countries before we neared the tail-end of our travels in the city that came to feel like home, Amsterdam. We only had a couple of days left before we were to head back home to the United States. Tyler and I noticed a shop not far from our hostel with a little sign that had a mushroom symbol on it. After much discussion about whether or not we wanted to trip, we decided this was a good opportunity. Brittany had yet to experience the magic of psychedelics and didn’t feel ready at the time. She said she would “babysit” which is always nice to have, especially in a foreign place. Tyler and I walked into the shop and spoke with the man at the counter. We expressed our interest in buying truffles and looked at the various options. Because Tyler and I felt experienced, we decided to get a fairly potent dose. If we were going to trip, we didn’t want it to be mild. The only question was where would we take them?
Back in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago, I had decided to go for a stroll on my own, while my sisters napped in the room. I had come across Vondelpark, where I spent some time walking through various sections. Now, as my sisters and I discussed where we wanted to spend our day tripping, Vondelpark seemed like a good option. So, we set off to Vondelpark where a day full of magic awaited us. The three of us found a nice little area by a pond where Tyler and I could eat the truffles and wait for it all to begin. Brittany was happy to just spend the day with us relaxing in the park. It took a little while before it started to kick in. I was lying there in the grass with my eyes closed and I started to become aware of all kinds of different sounds happening around me. There was a group of people sitting to the left of us having a conversation in another language. There were birds chirping. There were bikes rolling by. There was so much happening all around me and I was catching bits and pieces of it all. I opened my eyes and saw my two sisters lying next to me with their eyes closed, engulfed in their own worlds, in their own heads. I closed my eyes again. It was then that I really started to think about writing a book. I started envisioning different parts of the book, different adventures and lessons I wanted to include in the novel. I had always thought about writing a book and had done quite a bit of writing for different companies and marketing jobs. However, even though I had had different ideas for my own novel throughout my life, I had never known where to begin. In that moment, I decided that when I returned home to Florida, I would begin writing my mermaid adventure novel.
I then sat up and started talking to my sisters, wondering what was going on in their heads. Tyler and I agreed the truffles were pretty strong. We decided to get up and wander around the park. It’s funny because at first, we were skeptical about getting up and leaving our comfortable spot by the pond. We didn’t feel capable of being “normal” as we ventured around Vondelpark. Would people look at us and realize we were tripping? I then realized that we weren’t doing anything wrong. There was nothing to hide. So, we got up and decided to go on an adventure. Brittany led Tyler and I through the park. She was having so much fun taking us through the different gardens, showing us various sculptures, walking us over bridges, and pointing out the different birds around the ponds. The scenery was all new to Brittany too but she acted as our sober tour guide. Everything was so beautiful. I had never seen so much beauty in my life. As we walked through the park, I saw the entire world in this one park. People from all different backgrounds, of different ages and genders, and of all different religions and beliefs, came together in this one place. There were moms and dads walking with their children, there were yoga classes and fitness classes taking place, there were teenagers passing around joints, there were people biking and running, friends and families having picnics, and there were old men and women sitting on the benches observing all the natural beauty. So many different languages were being spoken. People from all parts of the globe came together in this one place. Everyone was happy, enjoying the beauty around them. There was no fighting or hate or discrimination. I saw the world in peace, as one, in Amsterdam’s Vondelpark; a beautiful mixture of nature and human creation, a paradise.
Another great epiphany I had on that trip was that there is never a reason to worry. Everything you need will be there for you when the time is right. You can never hold on to anything or attach yourself to anything, because it is all fleeting. However, even though change is inevitable, the right people and the tools you need, will appear just as you need them.
I had so much love for everything. There was no better way to end our month-long trip than with a “trip” through Vondelpark.
I have learned that every single trip shows you something new and gives you some new insights and ideas. Each trip brings you a little bit closer to yourself and what you should be doing. You become more in tuned to your calling and purpose. You get closer to the source. On my trip in Vondelpark I gained so much inspiration. I was somehow transformed. I arrived back home, motivated to work on my very first novel. I took a job bartending at night and spent my days on my computer, researching, learning, and writing. It took me 6 months to complete Annala Memoirs of a Mermaid. Writing that book felt so important to me. In a way, I felt as if I was meant to do it.
I have spoken to a number of people who have told me that a psychedelic experience helped propel them toward pursuing a particular dream. I think it is amazing how you can have such a profound experience that can ultimately change the course of your life. I truly believe these trips we take, deep within our own minds, are such an important part of the lives we live.
